Allies
by Cheryl W
Summary: **STORY IS COMPLETE** When Dylan sets out to induct another planet in his commonwealth, he has to determine who his true allies are and if Tyr is among them.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Allies  
By: Cwitty  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda and no copyright infringement is intended.   
  
Ratings: PG   
  
Comments: This is my first "Andromeda" fic so I'ld love some feedback.   
  
Dylan straightened out his borrowed shirt, stood and crossed to the door in his guestroom in the Randamals senate chambers. He activated the door and plastered on a friendly smile to greet his hosts. But to his surprise Tyr Anasazi stood at his doorway and to add shock onto shock, he was wearing the High Guard uniform.  
  
"Tyr, I ordered you to stay on the Andromeda," Dylan greeted in more frustration than anger.  
  
"Yes," Tyr drawled even as he stepped past Dylan and entered the room, his eyes appraising every detail. "I recall our conversation."  
  
Dylan shut the door and turned to watch Tyr take a swallow from his wine glass. "Maybe you had trouble understanding the conversation then. I said I didn't need protection and that you should stay on the Andromeda. That means you shouldn't be here now."  
  
Tyr took another swallow of the wine, sat the cup back on the table and turned to face his Captain. "Your meaning was clear, I simply disagree."  
  
Dylan came to stand before Tyr, meeting the Neitzschean's unapologetic look head on but put a sardonic smile on his face, "You may always disagree with my orders..." and Hunt's eyes grew darker, "but you are to still follow them."  
  
"Orders, yes," Tyr said as if he were discussing the weather on Kipner 9, "I decided to read up on my duties as a weapon's officer of the High Guard command. It seems that I have the distinct honor of protecting the Captain's life against all threats. It goes on to say how imperative my Captain's life is in the scheme of the High Guard's protection of it's Commonwealth ...." He let his voice fall away but his eyes lanced into Dylan's.  
  
Dylan couldn't keep a smirk off his face, "Is this new fascination with your rank the reason you put on the High Guard uniform?"  
  
Tyr looked down at himself as if he hadn't given his choose of clothing a second thought, "Dressing the part seemed a necessity,' and once again he locked eyes with Hunt. "Seems to me I am not the only one "dressing the part"," and he nodded toward Dylan's shirt.  
  
Instead of trying to combat words, Dylan dryly countered, "I thought it brought out the blue in my eyes."  
  
Tyr snorted out a laugh at that one. "Oh, to be sure." And then as if the matter of his presence was taken care of, Tyr sat at the table and refilled Dylan's wineglass and took a sip. "Quite good for it's time period."  
  
With a sigh, Dylan threw his hands up in defeat. Did anyone ever win against a Nietzschean...I mean really, when all the debris was clear?! "Fine, I'll introduce you to our hosts and get you a room. Just let me grab my data pad," and he disappeared into the other room.  
  
Catching sight of Dylan's High Guard jacket draped over a chair, Tyr crossed the room and picked up the garment. His inspection uncovered the back of the jacket was torn apart from just below the collar to the bottom of the material. Running his fingers over the rip, Tyr suspected a laser had burned right through the fabric, quickly and with intense heat. Turning the coat over, he drew in a breath at the bloodstains marring the inside of the coat.  
  
"Good thing I have a few more of those back on the Andromeda," Dylan joked as he reentered the room. But he was unprepared for the look that Tyr shot at him - a look he could have swore was fear - no it was anger - nope it was fury.  
  
Tyr clenched the ruined jacket in one hand and advanced on Dylan like a predator, "No need for my protection you said." And he waved the coat in front of Dylan's face for a brief moment. "Are you too proud to accept my protection?! Willing to accept death rather than appear weak?!"  
  
"It's not pride, it's politics, Tyr!" Dylan took a steadying breath. "The Randamals requested I come alone to the meetings. And what kind of trust would I be showing if I came accompanied and by a "body guard".  
  
"No, instead you showed your naivete and stupidity."  
  
Hunt's eyes turned to ice at the insult, "I did as they asked of me in the hope that they would see the Commonwealth as a tolerant unification of races."  
  
But Tyr was not swayed by those words, "And what price have you already paid for your "tolerance"?!" and he again waved the jacket at Dylan.  
  
With a calming sigh, Dylan drawled, "The jacket took the brunt of the laser, I received merely a scratch." At Tyr's defiant look Dylan added, "And the scratch was seen to by the medical technician."  
  
"So what happened?" Tyr demanded toe to toe with his commanding officer.  
  
"You know, the usual. A cyborg attacked me, we traded punches, I got flung back into the laser of the heating generator and that's all I remember. Apparently Randamals troops showed up and destroyed the cyborg and took me to medical. End of story."  
  
But Tyr was far from satisfied with the tale, "Why did the cyborg attack you, under whose guidance was the attack made?"  
  
"Well, Senator Fina assures me they will make a full investigation but they have had several violent attacks against their politicians in recent months due to the reconstructing of the government. I guess the Commonwealth is being considered part of that reconstructing."  
  
"Which sets you up as an enemy of the faction," Tyr's tone condemning and unflinching.  
  
"Enemy seems a little strong..." Dylan tried to minimize the danger he had been in.  
"Your jacket can attest to your enemy status," Tyr dryly drawled.  
  
"Forget the jacket already," Dylan snapped and grabbed onto the garment and tried to pull it from Tyr's hold. But Tyr refused to relinquish the damning evidence.   
  
"You need my protection, Dylan," Tyr said not with pride but certainty. "Admit it." A silent stare down commenced for a full minute.  
  
Without warning a smile appeared on Dylan's face, "You really like this rank thing, don't you? Even have your jacket buttoned up to your neck," and Dylan reached up and pretended to wipe away a smudge mark from the rank pin at Tyr's neck.  
  
Like a Jaonna snake, Tyr's hand shot out and captured Dylan's wrist in a just-this-  
side-of a painful grip. "Admit you need my help."  
  
"I thought I already admitted I needed your help when I asked you to sign on to the Andromeda," Dylan sallied back with a smirk.  
  
"Your cause needed help ...not you. Now it is you needing the help."  
  
Dylan tried to pull his wrist from the Nietzschean's grasp but Tyr only tightened the iron grip. Not for the first time, Dylan cursed the damn Nietzschean strength. With a defeated sigh, Captain Dylan Hunt meet his security officer's steely gaze, "Alright, maybe having two of us here would show our strength"..." Tyr raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth but Dylan cut him off, "Ok you want me to grovel."  
  
"Not grovel, admit you are only one man trying to take on the task of millions. And in trying to succeed in that task, you require that someone watch your back against all comers. And whether you like it or not, that someone happens to be me."  
  
Almost immediately Dylan was countering, "It's not like I don't like it...or you... or that that someone is you..." Dylan hoped Tyr would jump in with the conclusion both men knew. But Tyr merely stood waiting for Dylan to complete his thought. "I...I just don't always trust you. That "what's best for Tyr" thing leaves me a little edgy."  
  
"I've saved your life at least once and with no small risk to my own existence," Tyr countered.  
  
"Yes," Dylan conceded, "yes you have. But I'm always wondering about the next time, the time that you decide it's better to let me die for your own good."  
  
Tyr released Dylan's wrist and simply replied, "Could happen...but not today."  
  
A wary smile pulled onto Dylan's mouth, "How reassuring that sounds." Tyr opened his mouth to retort but Dylan waved it off, "Let's save the rest of this talk to a later date."  
  
Tyr smiled his wolf's smile, "I'll mark it on my calendar."  
  
To be continued...(Well, unless everyone hates it then this is the last word you'll ever heard from me -I promise!) 


	2. Chapter 2

Striding down the corridor, silence reigned between Hunt and Anasazi as they headed for the meeting with the Randamal council. It was Tyr who spoke first.  
  
"These bird people..."  
  
"Randamals, Tyr," Dylan corrected firmly.  
A nerve jumped in Tyr's jaw as he fought down his frustration. Now with more sharpness he began again, "These Randamals, do you believe they will join the Commonwealth?"  
  
The question caught Dylan by surprise and he finally looked to the man who walked at this side. "I'm glad you're finally taking an interest in our possible allies."  
  
But the look in Tyr's eyes didn't spark with curiosity but deadliness. "Interest, yes. I want to know if I should be finding ways to exploiting their weaknesses."  
  
With a "I should have know" expression, Dylan pulled his look away from the Nietzschean.   
  
They walked in silence for another twenty yards before Dylan firmly demanded, "Why are you here, Tyr? Really," and he watched the other man intently, hoping to detect the truth in the Neitzschean's reaction to his words.  
  
Tyr answered without bothering to look Dylan's way, "Back on the Andromeda I told you that I should accompany you on these "talks". As usual, you were too stubborn to listen."  
  
Dylan snagged onto Tyr's arm and brought them both to a halt, their eyes lancing into one another. "Why, is my question, Tyr. What is here on Randamal that you want?" The captain's tone was hard, unflinching. He wanted an answer, now.  
  
"Nothing!" Tyr spat back. "This "race" has nothing of value."  
  
"Exactly my thoughts," Dylan's tone was light but his eyes showed his deeper emotions. "So what's in this trip for Tyr?"  
  
"Absolutely nothing that I can detect," Tyr countered with disgust.  
  
Dylan's features became calculating. "Oh there has got to be something. Tyr Anasazi doesn't do anything without a personal motive."   
  
"If that were true, why'd I save your life on that ice world." His voice edged with anger. "I put myself in the sights of my enemy's guns to rescue you. What value did that have for me?"  
  
But the hard glint in Hunt's eyes told Tyr that his words hadn't swayed Dylan's opinion even more than the captain's next words. "You couldn't afford to lose an ally against your enemy. Lessens your chances for survival," Dylan answered firmly, without doubt.  
  
A slow smile pulled onto Tyr's face. "Your former 1st officer must have taught you more about Nietzschean than I imaged."  
  
All warmth left Hunt's expression and his words were like an icy blast, "Yes." Dylan took a step closer to Tyr, "He taught me to never trust a Nietzschean." Before Tyr could draw in another breath, Dylan was gone, his long strides eating up the corridor floor.   
  
With a curse under his breath, Tyr took a few running steps to bring him in step with Dylan. He opened his mouth to speak as they turned a corner but they encountered one of their official hosts in the hallway.  
  
"Captain Hunt. I hope you are feeling recovered," Senator Fina greeted in common, the trill of his species making the words almost a tune.  
  
Snapping into his diplomatic mode, Dylan emerged with a smile, "Yes. Thanks to your medical treatment. Senator Fina, I'ld like you to meet my officer, Tyr Anasazi."  
  
Tyr noted Dylan's omission of his title even as the senator bowed before him. 'As if saying I'm the weapons specialist is more of an obvious threat than my being Nietzschean." Knowing what was expected of him, Tyr stifled a sigh and bowed to the birdman before him.   
  
Dylan was caught off guard by Tyr's courtesy to the Senator. Hell, he was caught off by Tyr's mere present here. The man had an angle, but Dylan couldn't for the life of him, determine what it was. Shutting out his personal problems, Dylan tried to read the senator's reaction to the newest guest. But with the race's feathered body, wings and beaked face, he wasn't sure how the species made an expression let alone how he could read it.  
  
The senator refocused his black eyes on Hunt. "I will prepare the room beside your quarters for Officer Anasazi."  
  
Dylan broadened his smile, "Thank you," was his only reply, deciding to not make excuses for Tyr's presence that were not demanded.   
  
"Let me lead you to our meeting room," senator Fina said as he lead them down the corridor.  
  
  
  
Tyr's presence was not so unexceptionally met as he and Dylan entered the meeting room. All eleven senators fell silent as the two High Guard officers crossed over the room's threshold.  
  
Senator Fina quickly spoke as the seated Senators watched the Nietzschean openly. "Greetings fellow senators. Let me present Officer Tyr Anasazi."  
  
Tyr bowed a greeting but remained silent, as did the rest of the room. It was a hard voice that finally cut through the air.  
  
"So now we see your true soul, Captain Hunt. You cower behind a Nietzschean at the first sign of adversity." A senator called Kaba insulted, his eyes burning into Dylan's.  
  
'Damn you Tyr,' flew through Dylan's mind but outwardly he let a deadly smile pull onto his face, "I thought my Nietzschean officer and I could offer you our expertise on security." He let his look sear into Kaba a moment before he shrugged, "I mean, since I know first hand that some of your "adversaries" have found ways to gain access to this building."  
  
If reading Fina's expression had been neigh impossible for Hunt, reading Kaba's was child's play. The Randamals wings fluttered a second, his eyes flicked shut and open and his feathers on his face changed from white to green. Yep, he was furious, Dylan knew that as a certainty. But the captain also sensed another reaction in the room, Tyr's. He knew the Nietzschean was trying hard not to smile. 'Great. Man can't smile for his life most of the time and now he thinks he wants to smile."  
  
"Please Captain, Officer, take a seat," Fina, ever the peacemaker, polity offered as he indicated two empty chairs at the oblong table. Without further comment, Tyr, Dylan and Fina claimed chairs.  
  
The meeting began civilly enough as a senator Magtana began; "We are meeting here to discuss our planet's possible indoctrination into Captain Hunt's Commonwealth."  
  
Mentally, Dylan sighed and corrected, 'it is not MY Commonwealth! It is THE Commonwealth'   
But Magtana was continuing on, "We need to determine if this unification would be beneficial to our planet as well as to the Captain."  
  
'To the Commonwealth...beneficial to the Commonwealth,' rang through Dylan's head even as he realized all eyes were focused on him. Quelling his inner voice, he made eye contact with all the senators and began his campaign,   
  
"Well, I'll begin by telling you the principles that the Commonwealth were founded on."  
  
Now it was Tyr holding back a sigh. He would welcome an attack right now, even a Mogag attack would be preferable to the torture of "Negotiation".  
  
  
  
  
  
Four hours later the negotiations had drawn to a halt but not a conclusion, thanks to Dylan's refusal to have the vote taken before all the policies and procedures were adhered to. The vote would remain two days away as originally arranged, much to the Randamals and Tyr's displeasure.   
  
As Dylan thanked Fina for the continued hospitality, he reminded the senator of his prior offering of a tour of the city. The mere mention of the tour seemed to fluster the senator's feathers. "Oh but you can't go on the tour now, not after what has transpired? Someone sent a cyborg to kill you!"  
  
But Dylan off handedly replied, "Hey, that's what cyborgs do."  
  
Fina trilling voice rose in panic, "But we can't guarantee your safety, Captain Hunt. Not out on the streets."  
  
"Well, you no longer have to worry about me." And Dylan put his hand on Tyr's shoulder and met his officer's glare, "Officer Anasazi has come here to protect me." Hunt saw Tyr's clenched jaw and knew the Nietzschean knew a taunt when he heard one.  
  
"But.." Fina still protested.  
  
But Dylan cut him off firmly but with diplomacy, "Relax Senator. My officer accepts full responsibility for any harm that may befall me."  
  
  
  
  
Dylan and Tyr emerged from the meeting room and began the trek back to their quarters.   
"Enduring any more of that could even make the strongest Nietzschean suicidal," Tyr spat.  
  
A smile pulled onto Dylan's exhausted features. Just knowing that Tyr had suffered miserably made him feel better.  
  
Tyr looked to the silent man at his side. He expected a come back, or a lecture, or at least a look of frustration from Hunt. Receiving no response of any kind from Hunt made him uneasy for some reason. He studied the man as they walked, "What? No rousing speech about negotiations being the backbone of civilization. No lecture about a poor attitude?"  
  
Dylan smirked at Tyr's words but didn't give the Nietzschean his attention but simply said, "Nope."  
  
They walked in silence for awhile, Tyr kept shooting looks to his Captain, expecting to catch an emotion on the man's face that he could decipher. To his frustration, Dylan Hunt was wearing his immensely effective poker face.   
  
"Can you explain to me why I sat through four agonizing hours of debate only to have you deny them their vote?!"  
  
"I sat there because I'm forced to play a politician's role," Dylan replied then looked pointedly to Tyr, "Why you sat there... that's the question you haven't answered. Yet."  
  
Tyr ignored Dylan's probing and pressed again, "Why did you delay the vote? It was clearly going to go in favor of the Commonwealth! And don't tell me the same lies you told the Randamals about policies and procedures. You make all those things up as you go!"   
  
Tyr's words finally earned him Dylan's attention. He met his weapon officer's look head on and lowly replied, "Yesterday I know their vote would have been split and now, miraculously it seems as if they are all in agreement."  
  
"And you of course don't trust that," Tyr chided with a sigh.  
  
"No. No I don't."  
  
"Maybe the attack on you has made them realize they need the stability your Commonwealth offers," Tyr supplied.  
  
"Possibly but I think it's a little more complicated than that. I want to know more about the group that sent the cyborg after me. I want to know their concerns."  
  
"What?!" Tyr exclaimed just as lowly. "All they were 'concerned about' was killing you!"  
  
Dylan continued as if he didn't hear Tyr's outburst. "I want to know their objections to the Commonwealth, objections that the senators don't seem to hold. I need to talk to this group myself."  
  
"The only talking we should do with them is with a gouse gun." But Tyr knew that look in Dylan's eyes only too well. The man would not be swayed. "So you insisted on keeping your tour of the city to draw out your opponents. And I guess you expect me to not only protect you from another assassin's attack but to capture the assassin and arrange them to meet with you."  
  
"I don't need your protection Tyr," Hunt firmly corrected, earning him an unpleasant look from his companion. "What I do need is another hand to round up the assassin."  
  
"Oh I live to serve," Tyr sarcastically replied.  
  
"Good," was Hunt's come back.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The "tour" was so controlled that Dylan almost thought he would spot tourist plaques along the streets. Tyr walked at his side, his stride lazy but his eyes alert. But on this tour, Dylan knew there would be no need for Tyr's attentiveness because contact with the faction seemed very unlikely.  
  
"Senator Fina, I would like a tour of your factory district. I hear your productivity exceeds that of your competitors," Dylan requested of the Senator that was presiding over the tour with a running commentary.  
  
Fina shot a look of surprise to Hunt but continued, "Oh you will fully enjoy our next area of interest. It is a museum.."  
  
But Dylan cut in, not with anger but with childlike simplicity as he came to a halt, "No. I don't want to see that." Fina stumbled to a stop and stared at his guest open beaked. The whole entourage, which consisted of Dylan, Tyr, Senators Fina, Kaba and Magtana and 2 security guards, found themselves stopped in the center of the Market Square.  
  
"If I'm not mistaken, the factories are this way," Dylan said as he pointed to the west, looked to Fina who gave a nod of his head. Without further debate, Hunt strode off to the west even as Tyr matched his steps with a hitch. To all involved, the two guests were now leading the tour.  
  
Tyr felt his tension rise as he sensed the innumerable potentials for danger on this new "tour" of Dylan's. He lowly shot to Hunt, "Had I known you wanted to surrender to your assassins, I would have stayed on the Andromeda."  
  
Dylan shot Tyr a challenging smile but it was Fina who spoke next.  
  
"Captain Hunt!" the senator trilled behind them. "Please return to the market! It is not secure here!"  
  
As if to prove that point, Tyr yelled, "Dylan!" even as he tackled Hunt to the ground seconds before laser fire blasted into the wall where Dylan had been. More fire strafed the buildings even as Tyr and Dylan both laid flat to the ground. More lasers zinged over their heads and into the vehicles they were hiding behind.   
  
Almost simultaneously, Dylan and Tyr pushed themselves off the ground and crouched behind the vehicles. Their eyes met and their differences became inconsequential. Adversity was one hell of a way to strengthen a friendship.  
  
"Well you smoked out your fan club." Tyr sallied. "Now what?"  
  
Dylan held up a small metallic ball, "I throw this smoke bomb, you got left, I go right," and he made to throw the ball but Tyr seized his arm, halting the motion.  
  
"You are the target!" Tyr growled, searing his look of exasperation into Dylan's eyes, "You will stay here. I'll handle the assassin," his words both men knew were orders.  
  
But Dylan was not going to back down. He gave the orders. He didn't take them. "I want them alive Tyr. Now on the count of 3 we'll go."  
  
The Nietzschean's hold increased, "You are staying here or else neither of us are moving. There will be no compromise, Dylan."  
Dylan was surprised at Tyr's actions. Out of all the times the Nietzschean disagreed with Hunt's orders, he had never tried to issue orders upon Dylan.   
  
"Decide now before our prey eludes me," Tyr pressed, clearly stating again that only he would pursue the assassin.  
  
Knowing that Tyr would not budge on this issue, Dylan angrily replied, "Fine. Bring them to the storage shed outside the palace in an hour."  
  
And with that capitulation, Tyr nodded and Dylan threw the smoke bomb. Tyr broke from cover and a mere second later was swallowed up by the smoke.  
  
  
  
TBC (I'ld love to know what you think!) 


	3. Chapter 3

While he paced in his guest quarters, Dylan received a call from the Andromeda.  
  
"Hunt here. What's up Beka?"  
  
"An emissary from Enkindo just came on board. There seems to be a threat of an asteroid striking the planet."  
  
"Alright, go and take care of it, Beka."  
  
"Are you going to be OK with the Randamals till we return?" there seemed to be concern in her voice. Had Tyr's worry been conveyed to the whole crew?  
  
"I'll be fine. I'm not alone you know."  
  
"Yeah, I think that's another reason I'm not sure I should leave you."  
  
Dylan laughed, "Go on Beka. We'll be here waiting for your return with smiles on our faces."  
  
"Please," Beka snorted. "Don't go overboard, Dylan. Andromeda out."  
  
  
  
  
The assassin was a fast runner and a cunning adversary but neither trait exceeded those of Tyr. He caught up with the human with a flying tackle and quickly snapped restrains on his wrists. "Come on. We have a meeting to make," he said as he jerked the man to his feet and pushed him forward.  
  
"Your captain should not have returned to Randamal. He should have abandoned this alliance after the first attack," the rebel bitterly warned.  
  
"Returned?" Tyr snorted. "Get your intelligence correct, fool. This is Captain Hunt's first trip to your fair planet."  
  
"Don't play me for a fool! I mean after he was injured! He should have just stayed aboard his ship!"  
  
"Again you have faulty intel. The good captain hasn't left your planet since he arrived two days ago."  
  
The Rebel stumbled to a halt as he shot a look of shock to his captor. "That's impossible! He was injured! I saw the video feed myself!"  
  
Roughly, Tyr spun the rebel around and pushed him forward. "Yes, injured by another pathetic member of your cause," he tone deadly enough to cause the Rebel to hasten his steps forward just to put distance between himself and the Nietzschean.  
  
"You are lying, Nietzschean. He was injured and he would have returned to his ship for treatment."  
  
"Lucky for him, your government was courteous enough to provide medical treatment to him. "  
  
They walked in silence for a few moments before a surprised laugh broke from the rebel. It grew into a fit of laughter that had the man stumbling to keep his balance. But a knife at his throat suddenly erased all mirth from him.  
  
Tyr drew a thin line of blood from the rebel's neck as he snarled by his ear, "Do share the joke."  
  
The rebel's response was a pained wheeze, "I tried to kill a corpse," a smile creased the man's face even as a laugh escaped, regardless of the knife. But Tyr soon made the knife's presence unpleasant. The rebel continued, "And you, you are protecting a corpse."  
  
  
  
  
  
Tyr entered Dylan's room without preamble but with a determined stride. Dylan dropped the report he had been reading onto the couch and stood up. "You didn't catch them?" his tone bordering on a reprimand.  
  
"Oh I caught him," Tyr countered but immediately continued before Dylan could voice his next question. "We have to go back to the Andromeda. Now."  
  
Dylan was caught off guard by Tyr's insistence and the look of steel in his eyes. "So you caught my would be assassins and what? He threatened me if I didn't leave?' his tone incredulous. But the next second it was full of a warning, "I'm not running, Tyr!"  
  
"Once we are aboard the Andromeda, I will explain everything." Tyr replied.  
  
Dylan gave a short frustrated laugh, "Well, that'll be a while, considering the Andromeda left for Enkindo more than an hour ago."  
  
"What?!" Tyr exclaimed stepping closer to Dylan. "Why did they leave without asking your permission?!"  
  
"They did ask and I gave it."  
  
"Then why the hell didn't you get on board?!"  
  
"Because you weren't back yet and the Andromeda needed to act immediately."  
  
Tyr swore, "Alright. We'll take the slip fighter I came in and rendezvous with the Andromeda as soon as possible. Damn it! I can't believe you let them leave without you!"  
  
"Well I wasn't going to leave without you!"  
  
"I'm not the one injured!!!" Tyr exploded in rage.  
  
"I'm fine, Tyr!" Dylan shot back in exasperation. "Why do we have to have this conversation over and over again!?" But something in Tyr's expression didn't sit well with Dylan. "I think it's time you tell me what you learned from the rebel that's got you so spooked."  
  
"I'll tell you on the way," and Tyr headed for the door but halted as he sensed he was making the journey alone. He swung around to face his captain, "Can't you trust me for a second?!"  
  
"Give me a reason to, Tyr."  
  
Tyr knew that Dylan wouldn't budge from his spot without knowing the truth. Trouble was, Tyr was worried that knowing the truth wouldn't change his stubborn friend's resolve either. Crossing back to stand before Dylan, Tyr told his captain what the rebel had relayed, with some pressure applied. Something that had shook Tyr's composure enough for the rebel to escape.  
  
"I don't believe you are as fine as you feel, Dylan." Dylan's anger rose but Tyr cut off his words, "The Randamals do not have the supplies or technology to treat Human injures."  
  
"What?!" Dylan scoffed.  
  
"They do, however, have powerful pain killers and the technology to mask the appearance of any injury. They use this method to "treat" injuries to their human slaves and send them back out to work...until they drop over dead." Dylan could now plainly read the concern in Tyr's eyes and felt his denials fade.  
  
"Give me your knife," Dylan ordered evenly.  
  
This caught Tyr by surprise, "What do..."  
  
But Dylan sharply cut in, "Now Tyr." And the weapons officer pulled the knife from its hiding spot in Tyr's boot and handed it to Hunt.   
  
Before Tyr could react, Dylan sliced the blade down his arm. Immediately Tyr wrestled the knife from Dylan with a curse, "What the hell are you doing?!"  
  
Dylan said nothing but stared at the cut that seeped red blood.   
  
Tyr strode to the bathroom and returned a second later with a towel. He let out a string of curses as he wrapped the towel around the wound to staunch the blood. With fury, Tyr clamped his free hand behind Dylan's neck, finally getting Hunt's attention, "Are you crazy?!"  
  
But the look in Dylan's eyes spoke of anger not madness. "I don't feel any pain, Tyr. Their medicine is very good. I have been such a fool!"  
  
"Yes, well, let's get back to the Andromeda and then we'll show them how we feel about their medical treatments," Tyr snarled as he started to usher Dylan toward the door.  
  
"But I don't know why Tyr," Dylan suddenly protested.  
  
"We are leaving! Now, Dylan!' Tyr growled, allowing for no opposition. "You can contemplate all you want later. Now move!" and he shoved his captain out of the door.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
They could see the slip fighter, trouble was, five guards surround it. "It's almost as if they don't want us to leave," Tyr sarcastically bit out.  
  
"Can't criticize their hospitality, now can we," Dylan quipped as he knelt beside Tyr in the shadows of the hangar bay. "Let's show them how much we appreciate their attentiveness to our every need," and Tyr and Dylan stood up and stealthily began their approach.  
  
Without warning, an explosion tore through the hangar, ripping apart the slip fighter, killing the guards and sending Dylan and Tyr flying to the ground. Before the first explosion could be fully comprehended, others erupted around the hangar. "Come on!" Tyr ordered as he yanked Dylan to his feet and they ran from the hangar.  
  
The corridor burst into flames behind them, even as they dived into an adjoining corridor. "They are under attack!" Dylan yelled over the destruction. "We need to get out of this building!"  
  
The two men ran down the corridor even as repercussions of more bombs shook the foundation. They burst through the doors into the outside world without breaking stride. They ducked as a missile streamed over their heads and struck the building they had just left.   
  
All around them chaos reigned. The city they toured hours ago was becoming indistinguishable. "Follow me!" Tyr yelled and the two men pealed away from the main square.   
  
  
  
TBC I'ld love to get some feedback! 


	4. Chapter 4

Dylan and Tyr stumbled to a stop and both men leaned over gasping for breath. They had made it out of the city and into the countryside but there seemed few places to seek cover.   
  
"We can't stop here. Those caves ...they'll provide cover," Tyr breathed heavily and Dylan nodded in agreement before they began the trek again.  
  
Both men collapsed against the cave walls, breathing hard ragged breaths. They said nothing but watched the smoke plummet from the sky over the city and watched as ship after ship made their attack runs.  
  
"Do we know who the attackers are?" Tyr asked quietly.  
  
Dylan shook his head, "No. Probably another thing the Randamals forgot to tell me. Seems a good motivator to join the Commonwealth though, doesn't it."  
  
"They must have suspected this attack, probably why they wanted to rush the vote, well that and they were worried you'd expire before the deal was set." And Tyr's eyes lanced into Dylan's and Dylan felt the Neitzschean's censure.  
  
Dylan went on the defensive. "Damn it, Tyr! I didn't suspect anything! You think I lied to you about being fine!? I felt fine!"  
  
"You felt fine?!" Tyr mocked, "How can you be so naïve!? You think everyone has your best interest in mind?!"  
  
"I'm sorry! This is the first time I've been conned by my health care provider. Next time I'll ask for a second opinion," Dylan sallied back.  
  
This only further angered the Nietzschean. When he finally spoke his tone was deadly quiet, "You think this a game, Dylan? Do you think you earn points for valor?"  
  
"Valor?!" Dylan snorted, "That word's obsolete, Tyr, as is it's sentiment."   
  
Dylan's response severed Tyr's last reserves. With reflexes almost faster than the eye, Tyr breached the distance between he and Dylan, grabbed Hunt's shirt front and yanked Dylan off the wall to be eye to eye with him. "Can't you let yourself be anything other than the invincible soldier?!"  
  
Tyr was unprepared for Dylan's gruff answer, "No, I can't!"  
  
Understanding grew in Tyr, "Because you believe that is all you are now, a soldier." Suddenly the censure left Tyr. "You and I are not so different," he admitted as he eased Dylan back against the wall. A moment later Tyr pointed at Dylan with an accusation, "But no one rivals you for stubbornness!"  
  
"Oh, I think you're a close second," Dylan quipped earning him a smile from Tyr.  
  
The two men again focused on the attack.  
  
"That appears to be a transport for troops," Tyr surmised as he pointed to a larger ship heading for the city. "Looks like the Randamals' enemies are not satisfied with destruction alone."  
  
"Great, an invasion," Dylan sighed.  
  
Tyr met Dylan's eyes, "If they secure the city, their next conquest will be here."  
  
"I guess we better put as much distance between us and civilization as we can before night fall."  
  
Both men stood at the same time and headed out of the cave. They surveyed the landscape with disdain.   
  
"So what's your vote? Swampy marshes or ice covered mountains?" Dylan questioned.  
  
"I've always been partial to higher ground," Tyr offered and looked to see Dylan's reaction.  
  
Dylan gave a nod of this head, "High ground it is," and the two soldiers began the trek toward the high mountains.  
  
  
The mountains weren't so sheer that they didn't have trails, trouble was, the trails were steep.   
  
Under normal circumstances, Dylan would have tackled the trail with gusto but circumstances were far from normal. He was on a planet that was being invaded, he had no way to leave, and his injury was starting to show it's true colors.   
  
It had begun as a tinge of pain in his back but it was steadily growing to a maelstrom of agony. Each step was an achievement and yet he mentioned nothing to his traveling companion. He had even insisted on assuming the lead.  
  
'Stubborn fool believes he is deceiving me,' Tyr silently chided. 'As if I don't know the painkillers are wearing off fast. It will serve him right if I let him push himself until he collapses and then let his carcass lie." But his actions the very next second contradicted his resolve.  
  
As the gravel under his foot gave way, Dylan struggled in vain to compensate. Only Tyr's quick action kept Dylan on his feet. But in wrapping his arm around Dylan's waist to steady the other man, Tyr connected solidly and unmercifully with Dylan's injured back.  
  
Crying out in pain, Dylan's strength faltered and without warning, Tyr found himself supporting Dylan instead of simply steadying him. Though Tyr could easily manage his hold on Dylan, he knew his grip only put Dylan in further agony.  
  
With gentleness very few would expect, Tyr eased Dylan into a sitting position on the ground. Slipped his supportive grip to Dylan's shoulders, Tyr studied Dylan with concern. Hunt had his eyes clamped shut, was breathing shallowly and was as pale as Tyr had ever seen him.  
  
"You need to rest," Tyr quietly stated. He was not surprised by Dylan's denial.  
  
"No," Dylan began and opened his eyes to see Tyr crouched beside him. "Not until we're under shelter for the night." And Dylan made to stand up but Tyr's supportive grip turned restrictive.  
  
Searing his look into Dylan, Tyr stated, "I know the pain killers are wearing off."  
  
Sensing that he had no deniability, Dylan played a different card. Putting on a carefree tone, he admitted, "Yeah, and boy I wish I hadn't turned down that last dose of painkillers today."  
  
"What? They offered you painkillers? Today?"  
  
"Yea, while you were out chasing down my assassin. By the way, you never did explain how it is that you came back empty handed." And Dylan shot a questioning look to his weapons officer.   
  
But Tyr wouldn't be so easily distracted. "Why'd you refuse the painkillers?" he angrily asked but a second later he supplied, "No, let me guess. Because you felt fine," his ridicule unmasked.  
  
Dylan shot back, "You know my mother didn't nag me as much as you do!"  
  
"Well, she obviously didn't have to risk her life to save you, time and time again," Tyr drawled.  
  
With a sweep of his arms, Dylan dislocated Tyr's hold on him and ground out, "I didn't ask you to come here, to risk your life or to save me."  
  
Tyr reacted with silence, making no move to reclaim his hold on Dylan. His reply was quiet as his look pierced into Dylan, "No, no you did not." Tyr then stood and refocused his gaze on the caves in the distance. "I'll scout ahead," then looking down at Dylan, "if that's OK with the Captain?"  
  
"Fine," Dylan replied shortly and then Tyr spun on his heels and strode up the trail like it was the flattest of terrain. Dylan was struck harshly with the reality. To Tyr this terrain posed no challenge. Truth was had Tyr been traveling on his own, he would have been at the caves and had a roaring fire going by this time.  
  
'Instead, he followed behind me like a parent trailing behind a crawling baby, without complaint, without frustration.' The Nietzschean's only possible motive pierced into Dylan's soul. 'Damn it, Hunt, why can't you accept that Tyr is offering you his friendship?!' But the answer screamed through Dylan's head - Rhade.  
  
  
Tyr vented his anger with each stride that he made. He had been a fool to come here, to join in Hunt's Commonwealth crusade, to think that.... "You're such a fool, Anasazi," Tyr growled. "Grasping for things that are not worth your effort. Hunt is a fool and a fool's respect is worth nothing," and he finished bitterly, "as is his life."  
  
  
  
TBC (Thanks to everyone who left a review for me!! Those reviews keep this story going!) 


	5. Chapter 5

Climbing to his feet was harder than Dylan wanted to admit, even to himself. Once he accomplished that task, he stood a moment, trying to manage the pain before he began up the trail. The going was worse than it had been a few minutes prior and Dylan sent up a curse to the Randamals and their medical inadequacies.  
  
"Out of all the known worlds, I've got to be injured on one that doesn't practice medicine on humans," he grumbled as he made small but steady progress. "And then the world gets invaded, our slipfighter blows up and the Andromdea's gone. Just perfect."  
  
  
  
From his vantage point Tyr watched Dylan's torturous trek up the mountain. Ruthlessly squashing his emotions, he sighted on the city that now had widespread destruction. He watched as another troop transport landed amid the chaos.  
  
He knew that once the city was in their control, the invaders would venture here, in the mountains. That move could occur in hours or days or weeks. Tyr's objective was to not be here when they came.  
  
'Yes, that logic is flawless,' Tyr silently allowed. 'It is too bad that I have no slipfighter, no Andromeda and a seriously injured Hunt.' His Nietzschean mind had already calculated his odds for survival as well as the steps he could undertake to increase those odds. Again his eyes rested on Dylan, his look contemplative and assessing.  
  
  
Stumbling, Dylan impacted harshly with the ground and lay still, panting. To him, it seemed as if he had been climbing the trail for eternity, in truth it was but an hour. He looked ahead to the caves that Tyr had indicated and it seemed an impossible distance.   
  
There were no more buffers for his agony, the painkillers' effects were truly a thing of the past. And his strength? That was waning with each minute. Even if he reached the cave, how long would he last in the condition he was in? Long enough for Andromeda to return and miraculously locate them?! It didn't seem probable.   
  
He didn't blame Tyr for abandoning him to his fate. The way he had treated the man, it was nothing less thAn he deserved. Besides, the Nietzschean could do little to aid him and any effort in that direction would only endanger Tyr further. No, Tyr's best bet was to push onward, to find some faraway crevice to hide in until the Andromeda could pick up his communication. Dragging a dying man along was no way to make progress, or survive.  
  
Having come to grips with his fate, Dylan struggled to conceive of a idea to make himself useful in his last reserves of life. He was a soldier, just as Tyr was, and he had a soldier's devotion to duty. He would die performing his duty to the best of his waning abilities.   
  
Struggling to a sitting position, he leaned back against a rock cropping, lowly crying out in pain the contact with his back invoked. Having managed the pain, he looked to the city below. There was nothing he could do to aid the inhabitants. Sighting on another transport ship descending into the city, he contemplated trying to use his forcelance to bring one of the ships down. He quickly abandoned the idea. In reality, he wasn't sure what this war was about or who's side he should be fighting on. No, neutrality seemed the best call he could make. However, neutrality didn't come without a cost.   
  
Having been in negotiations with Randamal for entry in the Commonwealth, Dylan knew he would be considered an enemy to the invaders. And then there was the Randamals. They were hardly aboveboard with him and it left a nagging feeling in Dylan's gut. No, the Randamals could not be considered allies to he and Tyr now. They were on their own. All they had were each other.   
  
Suddenly Dylan's course of action was clear. He'd stay here, would provide an impasse for the troops and a distraction so Tyr could make his escape. It seemed that he wasn't going to restore the Commonwealth after all but he could protect a friend with his last breath.  
  
  
  
'Where is that damn stubborn fool?' Tyr scanned the mountainside for the tenth time and again without catching sight of Hunt. Tyr had hiked ahead further and found the perfect cave to spend the night ...if he chose to lag behind with his injured captain. His mind was truly not made up on that matter. Maybe Hunt alone would wait in the cave while he went and found a more secure hiding place for himself further up the mountain.   
  
Tyr had returned from his hike and hadn't been able to spot Hunt making his pathetic progress up the trail. He refused to call the feeling now cursing through him worry. No, it had to be frustration and impatience that now had him running down the trail. Only his Nietzschean reflexes prevented him from tripping over Hunt.  
  
Dylan lowered his forcelance, "Damn it Tyr, I almost shot you!"  
  
Tyr glared down at the seated man, "And what the hell are you doing? Stopping for a picnic?!"  
  
"Yeah, it's such a beautiful spot," Dylan sallied back.  
  
"Get on your feet!" Tyr gruffly ordered as he held a hand out to Dylan.  
  
Meeting Tyr's eyes, Dylan shook his head, his plan of action firm in his mind. "No, I'll stay here. You keep going. Find someplace you can hole up until Andromeda returns."  
  
"I'm not leaving you here?!" Tyr exclaimed, his words a surprise to Dylan as much as to himself.  
  
Dylan spoke without self pity, "You know I'm not going to make it, Tyr. The best thing you can do now is to leave me behind and save yourself. As decided, Beka will have command of Andromeda."  
  
Tyr bent down beside Dylan, "And that's it, you're quitting?" his voice curious and without emotion.  
  
Dylan smiled, "I know my limitations, Tyr." A twinkle came into Dylan's eyes, "Well, I know them when I'm not doped up on painkillers."  
  
"Your limitations?" Tyr spurted with anger. "You are the man that survived a black hole, that befriended and hired his enemies, and the man who has set out to unite the known galaxies." Tyr gave a laugh, "You don't know what limitations are, Dylan. Now, stop being so melodramatic and let's get to the cave I found."  
  
Without warning, Tyr pulled Dylan from the ground and swung him over his shoulder. Tyr clenched his teeth against Dylan's cry of agony. There had been no help for it.  
  
"Tyr, I'll just slow you down," Dylan wheezed. But Tyr gave no reply and began to make his way up the trail. "Taking me lessens your chance for survival." Still there was no reaction from Tyr. "Putting someone else's life before your own, it's not very Nietzschean of you."  
  
Tyr finally responded but did not slow his pace, "There is one aspect of every Nietzschean that you keep forgetting about."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
But Tyr did not answer the question, well, not aloud to Dylan he didn't. 'Every Nietzschean is loyal to his Pride.'  
  
  
  
  
  
Tyr gently eased Dylan to the floor of the cave beside the fire he had started when he initially located the cave. Even by the dim firelight, Tyr could tell how translucent Dylan's skin was becoming.  
  
Desperately clinging to consciousness, Dylan murmured, "So this is home, sweet home."  
  
"It'll do for tonight," Tyr replied and felt Dylan's forehead. It was hot to the touch even as shivers coursed through Dylan. Stripping off his High Guard jacket, Tyr tucked it around Dylan.  
  
Sinking to the ground at Dylan's side, Tyr watched his friend's condition worse by the minute. Without medical treatment, Dylan was right, he would die.   
  
Dylan looked to the man at his side, "You should keep going, Tyr," his voice weak and pained. "In fact, I order you to go."  
  
Try smirked, the man still thought he was in charge, "Order me, do you, Captain?"  
  
Seeing that that tactic was lost on Tyr, Dylan opted for the truth. "I want you to live, Tyr. You can't do that if you stay here with me," his eyes rested on Tyr's. "I think we both know that."  
  
Looking away, Tyr fought down his emotions. "Dylan, I can not abandon you. Not even to save my own life." And Tyr surged to his feet and paced to the entrance of a dark tunnel.  
  
"This isn't about honor or valor, Tyr. This is about survival." Dylan's voice echoed through the cave.  
  
But Tyr kept his back to Dylan. "When my Pride was destroyed, I told myself that I would survive if only to restore the Kodiak's honor and to have my revenge on our enemies." Tyr sighed. "But honor and revenge do not provide enough meat for the soul to survive upon."  
  
Dylan's solemn reply of "I know" struck a chord in Tyr and he swung around to meet the injured man's eyes.   
  
"Yes, I do believe you do." Tyr came again to Dylan's side and after hesitating a moment, reclaimed his seat. "You and your ludicrous mission gave me something to live for." Tyr chuckled, "Hell, I even like playing your stupid basketball game."  
  
"I knew it," Dylan countered.  
  
But Tyr sobered at the weakness of his Captain's voice. Unflinchingly Tyr met Dylan's fevered eyes, "I call very few people friend, but you are one of them, Dylan. Maybe you can't always trust me but you must know that I value you."  
  
Dylan swallowed hard, uncertain of how to respond. "Tyr...I..I owe you an apology. I've judged you harshly because of Rhade's betrayal. Friends?" and Dylan raised his hand.  
  
Without hesitation, Tyr clamped onto Dylan's hand and declared, "Friends."  
  
Dylan chuckled as Tyr laid his hand back to the ground, "Damn, I must be dying or we wouldn't be treating each other so nicely."  
  
But Tyr countered, "Actually I'm hoping our uncovered friendship will lend advantages to my position once we have returned to the Andromeda. Starting with a percentage of the sale of some of Andromeda's spare artillery."  
  
Dylan was ready to give a denial but instead he and Tyr broke into laughter. Short lived laughter at that as Dylan's laugh turned into an agonizing cough.  
  
Without any liquid to offer Dylan, Tyr could only helplessly watch and place a comforting hand on Dylan's shoulder. When the coughing had passed, Dylan lay spent, his eyes shut, his breathing gasping and his lips specked with blood.  
  
Tyr sat stunned. He knew what the blood indicated, internal bleeding. Maybe he and Dylan could elude the invaders from here until the Andromeda returned but Dylan was fighting against a more merciless time schedule. Fighting and losing.  
  
  
TBC 


	6. Chapter 6

Darkness was descending as Tyr returned to the cave, his arms full of kindling for the fire. But at the scene that greeted his entrance, he dropped the wood and drew his weapon.  
  
The rebel that had escaped earlier from Tyr stood by the prone Dylan, his boot pressed to Hunt's neck and his gun targeting the injured man's skull.  
  
Tyr snarled, "Kill him and there won't be enough of your genetic material to bury!" His weapon was steadily aimed at the rebel's heart even as he saw Dylan's futile efforts to dislodge the boot from his throat.  
  
But the rebel responded with the laugh that Tyr had come to hate. "Still protecting a corpse, I see. That would be admirable if it weren't so pathetic."  
  
Suddenly rebels entered the cave behind Tyr with weapons drawn. But Tyr didn't tear his eyes away from Dylan and the rebel assassin.  
  
"This corpse worth dying for Nietzschean?" the rebel drawled as he looked down at the helpless Hunt.  
  
"Tyr," Hunt rasped "drop your weapon," and the two men's eyes met.  
  
But Tyr made no move to do as he was ordered. Instead, he focused again on the rebel. "We can help you defeat the invaders."  
  
A smirk pulled onto the rebel's face. "Fight them? Hell, we paved their way here."  
  
"Why?" Hunt incredulously asked.  
  
Leaning over and applying yet more pressure to Dylan's neck, the rebel answered, "The Calains, the invaders, don't enslave humans. We will have our freedom under their rule. Would your Commonwealth have given us our freedom?" he sneered.  
  
Dylan met the rebel's eyes and spoke the truth. "No. Your planet would never agree to that."  
  
"No," repeated the rebel. "And you are too desperate to form your Commonwealth to worry about petty things like tyranny, torture and murder."  
  
Dylan flinched at the words but made no effort to defend himself or the Commonwealth. Morality and politics sometimes could not coexist, even for a good cause.  
  
It was Tyr who broke the silence with a snort, "Calains may not have human slaves but you will be so far down on the food chain that you'll dream about the "luxuries" you enjoyed as a slave."  
  
A familiar voice entered the debate. "It's not a perfect solution," Senator Fina said as he emerged from deeper in the cave and stood behind the rebel leader, "but they are choosing the lesser of two evils."  
  
Tyr shot a look to Dylan. This was a development neither man expected.  
  
"Fina, you support the rebels? Aided this invasion against your own people?" Dylan demanded. "Why?"  
  
The Senator looked at the helpless captain. "Unlike you, I can not abide tyranny, even when it is perpetrated by my own people."  
  
"No, instead you practice murder and instigate war," Tyr chided.  
  
The feathered Senator trilled in annoyance, "A moral lecture coming from a Nietzschean, how affecting?" Settling his look on the rebel leader he ordered, "Brauno, kill Captain Hunt and his loyal Nietzschean."  
  
But Tyr shouted, "You kill Hunt and the Andromeda will annihilate Randamal and Calain!"  
  
Brauno, the rebel leader smiled, "Nice try but we've sent the Andromeda on a little mission. By the time she returns, Randamal will be conquered and Hunt's death will be laid to the Randamal senators' tally of murder victims. The Andromeda will then support the new Calain government."  
  
Fina joined in, "Yes, I will gladly tell the Andromeda that her Captain was murdered by key members of the Randamal counsel. And I will hand over Senator Kabul to the captain's crew for their retribution."  
  
This did not invoke the reaction from Tyr that the senator predicted. Tyr laughed, heartily.  
  
"I had no idea you were so naïve Senator." Instantly Tyr's good humor turned deadly. "I've already sent a message to the Andromeda. They know the Randamals' treachery and that Hunt and I are hiding from the invaders. The Andromeda will know whose hands are covered in Hunt's blood."  
  
But now it was Fina who chuckled, "The Andromeda runs on diplomacy, Nietzschean. They will investigate, will gladly accept Kabul as guilty, and process his punishment with all the weak power this new Commonwealth clutches."  
  
Tyr's cold eyes met Fina's. "You underestimate the Andromeda's loyalty to Hunt. Diplomacy?!" he scoffed before his voice dropped low and deadly. "Their retribution will not cease until all parties attributing to their captain's death are wiped from existence. Do you know how easily that ship can turn your planet into an asteroid field?!"  
  
"I sense that a bargain can be reached, at least between us," a male voice spoke from behind Tyr.  
  
All the cave occupants turned to watch a humanoid man covered in brown short fur stride into the fray.  
  
Tyr eyed the Calain male wearily. Calains had little tolerance for any other species, especially humans and Nietzscheans. Bargaining with a Calain was like selling your soul.for nothing.  
  
Fina fluttered forward to greet the new 'guest." "Pranar, you have arrived early for our meeting."  
  
The Calian, Pranar, looked to the Randamal Senator with barely contained contempt, "Yes, well, the invasion is ahead of schedule." He turned deadly feline eyes unto Fina, "You never mentioned that your planet was hosting the famous Captain Dylan Hunt."  
  
Quickly, Fina reassured, "He is of no consequence! He and his Nietzschean officer are about to die right now."  
  
But Pranar angrily bellowed, "You should have told me Hunt was here! Yes, he must die but what of his ship, the Andromeda Ascendent?!" The Calain looked directly at Tyr, "Now about our bargain? Do you wish to live Nietzschean? If so, you will aid us in destroying the Andromeda."  
  
For the first time, Tyr lowered his weapon. "I am willing to "bargain" for my life."  
  
Pranar looked to the silent but observant Hunt then back to Tyr. "And what of Hunt's life? Do you have any objections to his death?"  
  
"None," Tyr coldly replied, meeting the Calain's feline eyes unflinchingly.  
  
With quick, cat like reflexes, the Pranar drew his weapon and unleashed a shot to Dylan's head. But the shot zinged into the ground an inch above Dylan's head. Furious, Pranar glared at Tyr, who still grasped the Calain's shooting arm.  
  
Tyr lowly growled, "I have no objections to his death after he gets us aboard the Andromeda."  
  
Shrugging our of Tyr's hold, Pranar snarled, "You believe Hunt will aid us in destroying his ship??!"  
  
Tyr smiled like a hungry wolf. "The only "aid" we need from him is a pulse flowing through his veins."  
  
Dawning entered Pranar's eyes, "Ah, yes, the Andromeda's sensors can identify Hunt and know his health readings on an approaching ship."  
  
"With myself at the helm and Hunt's living presence on board, the Andromeda will allow any type of ship to come aboard," Tyr outlined. "We can easily block her sensors to any other "passengers" this ship may carry."  
  
Smiling, Pranar extended his fur covered hand and Tyr completed the handshake. "You've got yourself a bargain, Nietzschean."  
  
But Fina trilled, "No! This Nietzschean is trying to spare Hunt's life!"  
  
The Calain smiled at Fina. "There's that element to consider but let me reassure you," here Pradar rested his eyes on Tyr, "when it comes down to his survival or his captain's, our Nietzschean will choose his own survival." Then turning fully to Anasazi, Pradar warned, "Let's be very clear. Your Captain Hunt will die. There is no bargaining for his life. And the successful completion of our bargain is the only way you will live. I think I can trust you to do the right thing..for yourself."  
  
TBC 


	7. Chapter 7

Fina, Brauno and Pranar had left the cave for a debate, one which Tyr guessed would be heated. But he knew who the victor would be, Pranar. Tyr knew that with his bargain with the Calain he had bought himself time, if not his life.  
  
Crossing over to Hunt, Tyr crouched down by his captain, noting how the human was trembling with agony.  
  
Dylan opened his eyes to view his visitor. "And here I thought you promised to NOT betray me.... at least today," his ragged voice echoing through the cave to the rebel guards' ears.  
  
"I lied," Tyr sallied back also loud enough for their audience.  
  
But when Dylan spoke again, his voice was barely audible even to the Nietzschean's enhanced hearing. "Nice bargaining with the devil for our lives."  
  
Tyr returned just as quietly, "I was choosing the lesser of two evils."  
  
"There's only one problem." And Dylan's eyes met Tyr's unflinchingly. "I'm not willing to risk the Andromeda ....even to save our lives."  
  
This objection did not surprise Tyr and he met his captain's eyes with strength. "And what about the Andromeda's threat to both Randamal and Calain?"  
  
A weak smile pulled onto Dylan's face, "The Calain may have believed your retribution story but I know better. Rommie and Beka would not attack Randamal or Calain."  
  
"Really?" Tyr began confidently. "Then you underestimate their loyalty to you. Do you really believe they will let your death go unpunished?!"  
  
"They won't know who to punish, Tyr. The only thing they will know is Fina's story."  
  
Looking almost amused, Tyr drawled, "My message to the Andromeda was quite explicit."  
  
"What?" Dylan demanded. "But we agreed it would be an SOS without details."  
  
"Oh it was an SOS, it simply was a longer version. Let me see. I think it went something like "The Randamal Senators have betrayed Dylan and he is critically wounded. The planet has been invaded and Dylan and I are seeking refuge. Consider the Randamals and the invaders enemies."  
  
A sigh escaped Dylan. "I'm surprised you didn't' order the Andromeda to destroy both parties."  
  
A cocky smiled emerged on Tyr's lips.  
  
"Oh great! You did give them that order," Dylan interpreted.   
  
"Revenge is important to a Nietzschean. Now, unless you want the Andromeda to get that message and act upon my "order", I suggest you help me uphold this "bargain." Well, at least until we can extract ourselves from this situation."  
  
Meeting Tyr's eyes, Dylan searched for the man's true soul. This plan called for Dylan to trust Tyr. For he risked not only his own life but the lives of his crew and his ship and his Commonwealth dream.   
  
Sensing Dylan's internal struggle, Tyr remained silent, knowing words could not sway Dylan's final decision. No, he had either earned Dylan's trust or he had not.   
  
But Dylan's mind was not focusing solely on trusting Tyr but on trust itself. He had trusted Rhade without limitation and that trust had, in essence, destroyed the Commonwealth, killed innumerable lives and banished Dylan to 300 years into the future. How could he even contemplate trusting again, let alone trusting a Nietzschean?! He wanted to say he had no choice but to trust Tyr, but he did have a choice. He could sacrifice Tyr's life and his own and rely on Rommie and Beka's good judgment. But that too, focused on trust. No matter how he tried to reconstruct his life, trust was still required.  
  
"Why did you come here, to Randamal?" Dylan softly questioned of his friend.  
  
Tyr sighed. The question had to be answered now and truthfully. "I didn't trust the Randamals and I thought you might be in danger."  
  
Trust, there was that word again. It seemed no one was immune to trust's influence. It simply was an element of life.   
  
But what struck Dylan the most was that Tyr had risked his life to protect him, and for no reason, save friendship. Placing his trust in Tyr now seemed the only fair thank you he could offer.  
  
"Tell Andromeda code "Break Break 7 9 Lexis Break 4" when you first make contact," Dylan lowly ordered. But before Dylan could translate what the code meant, Tyr, hearing footfalls at the cave entrance, stood just as Fina, Brauno and Pranar came into view.  
  
"Bargaining again, Nietzschean?" Pranar taunted.  
  
Tyr didn't deny the Calain's accusation. "I never limit my odds for survival."  
  
Brauno smirked, "I'm sure you don't."  
  
  
  
Tyr ate by the firelight with the rebels, Pranar and Fina as if he were one of them but he knew better than that. The Calain needed him to get the Andromeda but that didn't make them allies.  
  
With water in hand, Tyr stood and began to walk toward Dylan. Brauno stood up suddenly to block his way.  
  
"And where's our Nietzschean going? To tend to the corpse?" Brauno taunted.  
  
Sensing Fina and Pranar's eyes on him, Tyr stated loudly enough for their hearing, "If Hunt dies, so does you chance of destroying the Andromeda."  
  
Brauno reached for the water, "I'll give the corpse a drink." His tone indicating Dylan would not benefit from his bedside manner.  
  
Tyr didn't relinquish the water and unleashed a growl. Immediately Brauno stepped back out of the Nietzschean's path.   
  
Tyr had only taken a step forward when Pranar leveled his weapon at him. "Let the human tend to his own kind. It is against your nature to protect the weak, I believe. Haven't you sacrificed enough of your honor for this human already?" Pranar spat. "Come and tell me your plan to destroy the Andromeda."  
  
Brauno again reached for the water and, reluctantly, Tyr released his hold. He watched motionless, as Brauno walked to Dylan and bent down by the barely conscious man.  
  
A shot singed into the ground inches from Tyr's leg, earning his attention. "We plan NOW," the Calain demanded and pointed to a place at his side that would put Tyr's back to Dylan.  
  
Stifling a growl, Tyr obeyed Pranar and claimed a seat at his side, but not at the space the Calain had indicated. Instead, his seat gave him a clear view of Hunt.  
  
"Tell me your plans, Nietzschean," Pranar demanded, amused at the officer's seating choice.  
  
Tyr focused on the Calain's furry face. "As I have already outlined, Andromeda will allow a strange ship to board if she reads Hunt's living presence aboard and if I give the proper codes." Here Tyr's voice turned derogatory. "Hunt is fanatical in his protocol. He even insists that I wear this ridiculous uniform." He shot a look to Fina. "He wouldn't even allow you to sign his damn constitution ahead of schedule."  
  
Fina nodded, "Yes, but his strict protocol worked to our advantage then."  
  
The Calain's mind was sharp and focused on his task. "And what code will you be giving the Andromeda, Nietzschean? The orders to kill us all?" Before Tyr could rebuke the accusation, Pranar demanded, "Tell me the code, now!" as his weapon muzzle rested under Tyr's chin.  
  
At Tyr's hesitation, Pranar snarled, "Hunt's life has its usefulness. Your life does not. Tell me the code!"  
  
"If I tell you the code, THEN my life will have no worth to you. No, I think I shall keep the code to myself," Tyr boldly countered.  
  
"Brauno, show Hunt my displeasure with his officer!" Pranar called to the rebel leader standing by Hunt.  
  
With pleasure, Brauno kicked Dylan in the side, hard enough to send the injured man rolling to his stomach.  
  
Dylan's agonized cry vibrated throughout the cave, even as Tyr, regardless of his own precarious situation, surged to his feet, knocking Pranar backwards to the ground.  
  
"Take a step and this corpse will be ready to be buried," Brauno threatened, his weapon drawn and it's muzzle digging brutally into Dylan's injured back.  
  
Tyr froze, trembling with rage. "You kill him and there will be nothing in the universe to stop Andromeda's revenge!"  
  
Gaining his feet, Pranar stood at Tyr's side and calmly asked again. "Tell me the codes you will give to the Andromeda or Hunt dies here, now and painfully."  
  
Watching Dylan clutch the ground in agony, defenseless to any brutality brought to bear on him, Tyr bitterly gave up the code, knowing he could very well be forfeiting his own life. "Break Break 7 9 Lexis Break 4."   
  
Pranar bent down and retrieved a small keyboard and entered the code. Then, he smiled for the first time.  
  
"Well, what's the code mean? Was he going to betray us?" Fina trilled impatiently.  
  
Standing, Pranar eyed Tyr for a moment. "That's a hard question to answer."  
  
Fina pressed, " What did the code mean?"  
  
"The Nietzschean's code seems valid, even appropriate," Pranar replied, his eyes never leaving Tyr's. "But what trap do you plan to spring on us once we board the Andromeda?"  
  
"We want the same thing," Tyr reassured coolly.  
  
"Do we? I sense Hunt's life means something to you. And not just a key to get aboard the Andromeda," Pranar probed.  
  
Sensing that an out and out lie would no longer suffice, Tyr shrugged, "Regardless, his life does not mean more than my own."  
  
The smile returned to the Calain's face. "I know." He paused a moment. "How about if I give you another reason to aid us?"  
  
Tyr looked to Pranar with interest. "And what would that be?"  
  
"Captaincy of the Andromeda."  
  
Tyr's eyebrows rose in shock.....and interest.  
  
tbc 


	8. Chapter 8

The plans were set and the time for execution had arrived. The Calain unit had, moments prior, arrived and now the rebels began to gather their weapons and prepare for the ten minute trek to the waiting transport ship.   
  
Leaning against a wall, Tyr watched the activity before him even as his mind conjured up a thousand arguments on his decided course of action. He heard Pranar order two of his soldiers to carry Hunt to the ship. Forcing himself to be immobile, Tyr watched as one soldier brutally grabbed Hunt's arms while the other soldier picked up his legs.  
  
As they lifted Hunt from the ground, Tyr closed his eyes wishing he could also close his ears to Dylan's short scream of pain. But a second later, Tyr's eyes snapped open and he was at Dylan's side before the rebels guarding him could react.  
  
Sliding his arms under the now unconscious Dylan, Tyr growled with contempt at the two men who 'carried' Hunt, "Release him. Now."  
  
The two soldiers looked to Pranar and, upon his bemused nod, they relinquished their burden into the Nietzschean's strength. But Pranar sternly barked to his men,"Stay glued to them."   
  
Cradling Dylan in his arms, Tyr was struck anew with his captain's vulnerability and tenuous grip on life. He clutched Dylan tighter to him and the unconscious man's head lolled against Tyr's chest.  
  
"It's time, Nietzschean. Time to return the captain to his ship.....one final time," Pranar called out.  
  
With resolve, Tyr followed Pranar from the cave, holding the man he had hours prior, declared "friend."  
  
  
  
Any remaining lies that Tyr had consoled himself with about Dylan's health were shattered as he carried Hunt to the transport ship. Dylan's infamous strength, stubbornness and endurance could no longer battle the devastating effects of the long untreated critical injury. A coma had claimed Hunt, vastly diminishing his chances for survival, even if given medical treatment.  
  
'Don't give up, Dylan. Stay with me,' Tyr silently ordered as he looked down at his friend's white face.  
  
  
Once inside the ship, Tyr, with gentle care, lowered Dylan into a seat, eased his head back onto the headrest and securely strapped him into place. With one last fleeting look, Tyr left Dylan and headed for the pilot's chair. Pranar waited for him there.  
  
"If you say more than protocol requires, I'll kill you. If you change the code you give to Andromeda, I'll kill you. If you betray me, my people will track you down and kill you," Pranar threatened.  
  
A bemused look crossed Tyr's face. "Well, now that that has been cleared up, shall we complete our bargain?"  
  
"By all means, let's proceed," drawled Pranar. Then he joined the rest of the undetectable "passengers" in the cargo hold.   
  
Starting the ship's engines, Tyr checked the consoles a moment before lifting off of Randamal. Satisfaction grew in him at having finally managed to depart from Randamal but it could not outweigh the uncertainty that blanketed his future.  
  
  
When Tyr was within real time communication range with Andromeda, he hailed the ship. "Andromeda Ascendant, this is Officer Anasazi. The code is break break 7 9 lexis break 4."  
  
Without hesitation, Andromeda replied, "Code break break 7 9 lexis break, confirmed. Hangar Bay 2 is open for your boarding. Andromeda out."  
  
Guiding the transport ship into hangar bay 2, uncertainty coursed through Tyr. He had no idea what the code had conveyed to Andromeda and it's crew. Taking a deep breath he rationalized that it actually didn't matter, he had his own plan of action.  
  
Landing the ship without incident, Tyr was almost immediately joined by his cargo hold free loaders. Pranar ordered, "Engage the privacy mode ship wide."  
  
Tyr looked to Pranar with new respect and contempt before he used the transport ship's communication to again contact the Andromeda. "Andromeda, engage privacy mode ship wide."  
  
"Privacy mode engaged ship wide," Andromeda's protocol filled voice replied.  
  
"Satisfied?" Tyr taunted the Calain.  
  
"I'm getting there. Now, lead us to the Andromeda's command center."  
  
With a word, Tyr stood up, met Pranar's eyes and then walked by him and out of the ship, never sparing a glance to Hunt. But Tyr heard Pranar's order, "Brauno, stay aboard with the good captain. Once the Andromeda's last resistance is over, you may finish what you incompetently began."  
  
Tyr crossed the hanger bay with the invasion force in tow. He paused at the control panel outside the door that lead to Andromeda's interiors."  
  
"Wait!" Pranar shouted as Tyr's finger hovered above a button. Stepping to Tyr's side, Panar studied the controls.  
  
"I have to open the door, unless you can run the ship from here," Tyr drawled with disdain.  
  
Pranar looked at the control a moment longer before fixing his gaze on Tyr. He pulled his gun and leveled it at Tyr's head. "Open the door."  
  
Snorting mockingly, Tyr took a step closer to the console and tapped two buttons. But as Pranar watched the interior door in vain, the hanger bay door slid open and space's cold, merciless grasp clutched onto the beings gathered on the hangar deck.   
  
The human rebels were the first to fly from the deck into space, followed by Fina and the Calain unit. Tyr gripped with one hand the bar around the door to Andromeda' interior as space's void wiped around him like he were a kite in its power. Somehow, Pranar had slammed into the transport ship and found a hand hold on it's hull.  
  
A growl escaped Tyr as his hand began to slip it's grip. Still, he did not give the order to shut the hangar doors. He looked to the Calain and watched with satisfaction as Pranar lost his purchase and slid down the ship toward the abyss of space.  
  
But before Tyr could be certain of Pranar's fate, the bar he gripped broke free and he found himself a victim of his own trap. Flying toward space, he screamed above the howl of the wind and the freezing agony in his chest, "Andromeda, Close hanger doors!"  
  
Almost unexpectedly, he impacted harshly with the closing hangar bay doors. Moments later, he crumbled to the floor as gravity was restored again to the hangar bay. For a minute, Tyr lay on the deck, drawing in pained breaths. Then with determination, he picked himself up and strode menacingly to the transport ship.  
  
The ship's engines tried to flare to life as Tyr stormed through the ship's door and immediately ducked. Brauno's shot from the pilot's chair zinged harmlessly into the wall.  
  
"You killed them all!" Brauno yelled as he charged Tyr, firing as he approached.  
  
Diving for the man's legs, Tyr easily tackled the rebel to the ground even as he sank his bone blades in his forearm into the human's chest. Agony and surprise seeped from the rebel's eyes.  
  
Mercilessly enjoying the man's death, Tyr sneered, "Now I believe you understand." He leaned in close, his eyes boring into the dying man's soul. "YOU were the corpse as soon as your cyborg attacked Hunt." The rebel sputtered his last breath, his denials dying with him.  
  
  
When Andromeda's door opened, the sight of Tyr carrying Dylan greeted Beka, Rommie and Harpers' fierce, armed stances.  
  
"What happened?" Beka demanded as she spared a look into the now secure hangar bay before holstering her weapon.  
  
But Tyr was already striding toward medical with his burden. "Get Trance to medical," he ordered loudly.  
  
Beka ran to catch up with him. "She's already there. Tyr.." she began to question.  
  
"I suggest you move Andromeda to a less conspicuous location. Now," Tyr cut in.  
  
Stumbling to a stop, indecision tore through Beka a moment before duty took over. She spun on her heel and ran for Command.  
  
Before Tyr had completely crossed Medical's threshold, Trance was beside him, her purple hand reaching for Dylan's pulse.  
  
"He lives, barely," Tyr answered her unasked question as he carefully laid Dylan unto the nearest bed.  
  
Immediately Trance was checking Dylan's vital signs even as she urgently questioned, "What happened to him?"  
  
Looking down at his comatose friend, Tyr angrily growled, "A laser seared into his back and the wound was untreated."  
  
Trance's eyes shot to Tyr's with concern. "When was he injured?"  
  
"Three days ago," he lowly answered.  
  
Trance's look turned from worry to horror. "Help me roll him over," and Tyr did as she asked and then ripped Dylan's shirt to reveal his unmarred back.  
  
"But..." Trance began but Tyr cut her off.  
  
"It's an illusion, some spray the Randamal's use to conceal injures to their human slaves."  
  
A furious look overcame Trance even as she reached for an instrument on her medial tray. Then before she turned back to her work, she met Tyr's anxious look and sympathy dulled her fury. "I think it's best if you leave, Tyr."  
  
But Tyr stood his ground, "I'll stay."  
  
"Please, Tyr, leave." Trance's imploring tone had Tyr's eyes meeting her own. "You've already done all you could for him. Now, I must do all I can for him. Alone."  
  
Swallowing hard, Tyr gave another look to Dylan before he strode out of medical.  
  
TBC 


	9. Chapter 9

Sitting on the floor of the observation deck, Tyr leaned against the wall in the dark room. His head jerked to view the door as Rommie entered, "Dylan?!" he asked urgently.  
  
Rommie shook her head, "I...I don't know anything yet."  
  
At another time, Tyr would have found it improbable and ridiculous to see an android on the verge of tears. Today he didn't think so. He watched as Rommie crossed the room and crouched in front of him.  
  
Her voice was gentle when she spoke, "Beka's moved us to someplace "inconspicuous". Do you wish us to head back to Randamal?"  
  
Surprise coursed through Tyr. "Isn't that a question you should be asking Beka?"  
  
Rommie blinked in surprise and her voice was quieter than it had been. "You don't know what the code Dylan gave you means, do you?"  
  
Shaking his head tiredly, Tyr answered, "No."  
  
Meeting Tyr's eyes, Rommie explained, "The code Dylan gave you meant that Dylan was incapacitated or...dead." Here she faltered as she remembered the reaction she had had when Tyr had given that code. Marshalling her emotions, Rommie continued, "The code also meant he relinquished his control to the barer of the code....to you, Tyr."  
  
"Well, Beka can now reclaim her second in command role," Tyr's voice rang with exhaustion as he leaned his head back against the wall.  
  
"No, Tyr, you don't understand. Dylan gave you HIS control, not the second in command's but the captain's control. I follow your orders, alone and unquestioningly."  
  
Tyr's startled look settled on Rommie before his logic kicked in. Smiling sadly, he quipped, "I guess it was the only order Dylan could think to give under the circumstances."  
  
Rommie quickly destroyed that misconception. "No, Tyr, it wasn't. In fact, there are twenty seven other orders he could have chosen that would have given you temporary and limited control of the ship. Dylan purposely relinquished his control to you."  
  
Tyr opened his mouth to protest but instead he faltered to silence. Incredulously he posed to Rommie, "Why?"  
  
A smile grew on Rommie's face. "I guess because Dylan trusts you, Tyr."  
  
Tyr shook his head in happy disbelieve even as a wide smile lit up his face. "Dylan Hunt is one of a kind."  
  
Rommie beamed with pride, "I know." A moment passed before she asked, "What are the acting captain's orders?"  
  
Without regret Tyr answered, "The acting captain relinquishes all his control. Beka has command."  
  
Surprise shown on Rommie's features.  
  
At her expression, laughter broke from Tyr. "I'm going to go see Dylan." And he climbed to his feet and left the obs deck.  
  
  
Tyr entered medical without preamble and Trance met his eyes from her stance beside Dylan's bed.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't stay away long," she greeted.  
  
Tyr said nothing as he looked down at Dylan's motionless form. With his heightened Nietzschean senses, he knew the coma still cocooned Dylan. He didn't pull his eyes away from Dylan's white face as he barely audibly questioned, "Will he live?"  
  
Silence fell in the room and Tyr's eyes snapped up to Trance. She worriedly bit her bottom lip. Reaching out, Tyr grabbed her wrist and demanded "Will he live?"  
  
Trance's youthful uncertainty shone through her voice. "I don't know, Tyr. The odds..."  
  
Tyr ruthlessly cut her off. "Don't talk to me of odds. Tell me what you think!"  
  
Her brown eyes held his a beat before she spoke, "I know what I want and what you want, Tyr. And I don't know if we will get that. We can do nothing more than wait and hope."  
  
Numbly, Tyr released his hold on Trance and stalked for the door. Abruptly he halted at the threshold. He wanted to reclaim the captaincy and vaporize Randamal and Calain but in the same instance he couldn't bare to abandon Dylan to his fate. Turning around, Tyr pulled a chair beside Dylan's bed and claimed a seat.  
  
Trance smiled, "I knew you'd stay."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Through the long night and frequent visitors there had been no change in Dylan's condition, either good or bad. Now having sent Trance to get some rest, Tyr alone sat with Dylan.   
  
A human would have missed the movement. Tyr did not. Before the facial twitch had vanished from Dylan's pale features, Tyr leaned over the bed and quietly but urgently demanded, "Dylan?"  
  
When no response was given, Tyr placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Dylan, it's Tyr." A wince flickered across Dylan's face in answer. Tyr's tone turned more insistent, "Dylan!"  
  
A groan of pain escaped Dylan a moment before his eyes slowly opened. His first sight was of Tyr. He shifted on the bed but immediately gasped as agony sprang to life.  
  
"Whoa, lie still, Dylan," Tyr ordered, his tone soft but firm, even as his hand kept Dylan immobile.   
  
With his eyes tightly closed, Dylan croaked painfully with a voice raw from disuse, "Good advice." Dylan felt Tyr remove his hand and leave his side but in mere seconds he had returned.   
  
"Here, take a sip," Tyr offered and waited patiently for Dylan's eyes to open and settle on him and the cup he held. Reading agreement in Hunt's eyes, Tyr slid his arm behind Dylan's shoulders, eased him slightly off the bed and helped him take a few sips of the water. Then with care, he positioned Dylan back unto the bed.   
  
"If I were any weaker, I'd be dead," Dylan's complained, his voice still unable to reach above a whisper. He didn't see the flinch that crossed Tyr's face at his words.  
  
Settling back into the chair he had occupied all night, Tyr watched Dylan come to terms with his agony, weakness and newfound consciousness. Then Dylan's eyes met his own, dulled with pain but alive and questioning.  
  
"I'm assuming the bargain turned out better for you than Pranar," Dylan asked, a twinkle coming into his eyes.  
  
A smirk pulled onto Tyr's serious look, "You could say that."  
  
"Fina and the rebels?"  
  
Now a wolf's smile emerged on Tyr's face, "I returned their "hospitality" to you.....ten fold." At Dylan's raised eyebrow, Tyr gladly expanded with exaggerated innocence, "Apparently, no one told them to hold on to something when a hangar bay door opens."   
  
A tired yet satisfied smile pulled on to Dylan's face, "I'm glad you're on my side, Tyr."   
  
At this, Tyr looked down to the floor. How many options had lay before him to abandon and betray Dylan? He had lost count. To say he hadn't been tempted would be an out right lie and, though he lied to others, he never lied to himself. No, the temptation had been great but he had not betrayed Dylan.   
  
Meeting Dylan's look, Tyr countered, "TODAY I was on your side."  
  
Tyr's cold response caused a chuckle to escape Dylan, "You picked one hell of a rough day to side with me." His eyes met Tyr's, almost calling him on his façade of indifference.  
  
Against his will, a smile pulled on Tyr's features but he did not answer the challenge Dylan's look posed. Instead he sat back in the chair and lazily watched Hunt, waiting for the questions that remained.  
  
Dylan's eyes grew serious and world weary as he ventured, "Any news about Randamal?"  
  
"Do you mean have the Calains taken over or are you asking if I had Andromeda turn it into an asteroid field?" Tyr pointedly asked.  
  
With an intent look, Dylan answered, "Either."  
  
"It's still there and I have no idea how the invasion's going." Here Tyr leaned toward Hunt with irk, "Actually, I hope the Calains decimate Randamal and the 'rebels' get what they wanted. They will see their error when they are begging in the streets for scraps of food, right along side their Randamal owners."  
  
Sadness grew in Hunt's eyes and he swung his focus to the ceiling.  
  
Tyr's voice was full of angry disbelief, "You feel sorry for those bastards, don't you?! Have you forgotten that they tried their damnedest to kill you?!"  
  
Closing his eyes, Dylan sighed, "I haven't forgotten, Tyr. It's just..." here he faltered to silence.  
  
Watching the emotions cross Dylan's face, Tyr knew the feelings that tore through his captain. His voice was quiet but firm when he broke the silence. "Dylan, your Commonwealth isn't the answer to all the universe's problems."  
  
Dylan's anguished whisper echoed through the room "I know."   
  
Tyr pointed to Dylan with frustration. "Don't you dare start moping around! You've already convinced twenty worlds to join this Commonwealth. It's a little too late to give up on the ideal!"  
  
This garnished the anticipated response. Hunt's eyes shot to Tyr with anger, "I'm not giving up on the "ideal!" The Commonwealth will improve the lives of ..." He fell silent when he noticed Tyr's bemused look. Damn, he had fallen for Tyr's prodding, hook, line and sinker. A smile sprang to Dylan's face, "Oh, you're good Tyr. Very good."  
  
"I try, my good Captain," Tyr replied with a matching smile. "Now, what are the captain's orders?"  
  
"But..." Dylan began, meeting Tyr's questioning look. "The code..." he halted again, trying, unsuccessfully to read Tyr's expression. Surely Andromeda had already made Tyr aware of the power Dylan had bestowed on him.  
  
Tyr raised an eyebrow, questioningly, even as he concealed his enjoyment at Hunt's predicament. It seemed Hunt had an easier time giving away his command than taking it back.  
  
Clearing his throat, Dylan tried to instill strength in his weak voice, "I think we have a meeting on Mobias that requires our attendance."  
  
"I'll go notify Beka," Tyr said as he stood.  
  
But Dylan grabbed his arm and the two men's eyes met. "Thank you for saving my life, Tyr."  
  
Tyr seemed uncomfortable with the thanks and briskly countered, pointing his finger at Dylan, "I won't make saving your life a habit!" Silence fell between the two men. "Have more care in choosing your allies, Hunt."  
  
With that, Tyr pulled his arm from Dylan's grasp and stalked out of Medical.  
  
But a smile was beaming on Dylan's face as he spoke softly in the now empty room. "Don't worry, Tyr. I may not always choose the best allies, but I'm pretty good at picking friends. And in the end, that's what matters the most."   
  
  
The end.  
  
  
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO REVIEW THIS STORY! WITHOUT YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT THIS STORY WOULD STILL BE UNFINISHED! AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOUR KIND WORDS PUT JOY IN MY LIFE WHEN I REALLY NEEDED IT! I'M TRULY IN YOUR DEBT.  
  
Cheryl 


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